The Best Things In Life Are Expensive (And Totally Worth It)

Whether it’s studying, traveling, volunteering, or working abroad, it’s more than likely an expensive endeavor, much more so than taking the equivalent route at home.

I distinctly recall during my junior year semester abroad discussing tuition costs in the US versus in Europe. All my European friends literally guffaw-ed at the twenty thousand dollars I had spent (or more accurately put, was loaned) in tuition and fees for a mere five and a half months spent in Europe. They thought it was incredible, outlandish and absurd that this was a common occurrence for Americans to spend this much money on education when the sum of their entire undergraduate tuition did not even add up to our one semester spent abroad. That said, I clearly wasn’t alone in the extravagant debt-inducing, expensive semester that I and many of my friends partook in as part of our college experience.

It wasn’t an easy decision. Whether it’s studying, traveling, volunteering, or working abroad, it’s more than likely an expensive endeavor, much more so than taking the equivalent route at home. Before fully committing to going on my semester abroad, I had a period of extreme hesitation for a few reasons, but one of the main ones was the fiscal aspect of the experience. Would it actually be worth the time and effort needed to pay for the time abroad? Americans studying abroad do get a bad rep for wanting to go to the typical “semester abroad” destinations, drinking underage, and hanging out solely with their patriotic counterparts, all while claiming that they got a sense of culture because they made the trek to see the Mona Lisa or the Blarney Stone, or even the inside of the Sagrada Família. Even if this was or will be your experience (as you could make a good argument that mine was) it was or will be worth it. I assure you.

The first and most important thing that is gained during any time abroad, whether studying or working or volunteering or just simply living, is a sense of confidence. Even the smallest things, such as navigating a public transit system in a foreign city or having a successful interaction with someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you, can be incredible confidence boosts that you wouldn’t have experienced back in your hometown. It’s amazing how being in a place for an extended period of time where you don’t quite understand the culture or know the language can make your self-confidence sky rocket once you return home from that experience. Once you get through that, it feels as if you can conquer anything.

Another invaluable experience gained while abroad is the sense of humility and broader understanding of the world in general. Too often when in our comfort zone, it’s easy to think within a patriotic frame of mind and not realize that there are other people outside of our little world living completely different lives with different upbringings and views of themselves and the rest of the world. Without ever leaving your home, it’s easy to fall prey to stereotypes or prejudices of a specific culture or country. It is only once we leave that zone in which we hold those negative images that we can open ourselves to changing and challenging our opinions.

Even if, say, you do study or teach or volunteer or travel abroad and at that time don’t feel like you gained anything, there is still opportunity to learn and change once you return home. For example, there may be hidden things within your home that you may have taken for granted while abroad. It might be larger issues, like the realization that a right you have at home being banned or frowned upon in other countries, or even just the smaller things, like the convenience of being able to buy wine at the same grocery store that you do your weekly food shopping at. No matter what it is for you, you’re sure to find something that will make you appreciate your everyday life back at home, even if you don’t feel like you gained a lot during your time abroad.

So take that plunge and go abroad without worrying too much about the financial aspect. The experiences you have and the knowledge you’ll gain will absolutely be priceless.

Article written by Meredith Todd.

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